It is unlikely that Atlantic City’s Surf Stadium will host a team full-time in 2019, though discussions about a new tenant for future seasons continue.
Back in May, the Atlantic City Council authorized Frank Boulton to work on behalf of the city to find an ownership group that would field a team at Surf Stadium. The arrangement came with a 90-day window, and was seen as a way to bring a new full-time baseball tenant to a facility that originally opened as The Sandcastle in 1998.
More recently, it was indicated that Surf Stadium is unlikely to host a new team for the 2019 season, as no final agreement is in place. However, the 2020 season is still in play, with Boulton emphasizing the need to find the strongest long-term fit possible. More from Press of Atlantic City:
Frank Boulton, who was authorized in May by City Council to find an ownership group willing to bring baseball back to Atlantic City, said a deal is not in place and “there’s a few things that still need to happen.” He said he is “cautiously optimistic” a team could be playing in Atlantic City by summer 2020.
The city’s governing body gave Boulton, who is a founding member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and former owner of the Atlantic City Surf, a 90-day window to facilitate a deal on its behalf.
“We’re not looking to bring this back for a couple of years,” Boulton said Tuesday. “We’re trying to bring this back for decades to come. We need to do it right, so it’s going to take a little time.”
Boulton said one of the avenues being explored is bringing in corporate sponsors, including a naming-rights partner for the 5,500-seat stadium on Albany Avenue.
Surf Stadium originally opened to host the Atlantic City Surf, then a member of the independent Atlantic League. After the Surf’s last season in 2008, the ballpark’s condition fell on hard times, but it was eventually put back into working order to host tournaments.
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